STATEMENTS AND LETTERS

06th June 2012

Open letter to my Compatriots!

„Christianity is not compatible with anti-Semitism! Nor is it compatible with incitement to hatred or with the stirring of emotions against any religious community or group. (…) Anti-Semitism is incompatible with humanity! According to the Bible all people are God’s creation. We are all each other’s brothers and sisters.”
Cardinal Péter Erdő, 15th April 2012.

On 5th June 2012, an unknown, Hungarian-speaking racist threatened on the open street the 90-year old Retired National Chief Rabbi József Schweitzer, the Széchenyi-prize winner and religious leader who we all hold in high esteem.
Although this insult was directed against Professor Schweitzer, still it attacked us, Hungarians in our self-esteem.
Even though the perpetrator was lone and anonymous, we all have to confront the shame of this and similar attacks against any member or values of our nation.
It is not enough if we protest, we have no choice but to clear up the filth left behind by others.
I call on all good hearted and benevolent citizens of Hungary to raise an impenetrable moral and intellectual wall together against every racist or segregating act, which can fuel hatred.
I suggest we make it clear once and for all, that no one should feel they have the right to insult, humiliate, threaten or exclude anyone on the grounds of religion, origin, culture or national identity.
Anybody doing so despite this, will voluntarily exclude themselves from our freedom loving political nation, which rejects the cruel autarchic ideals.
Hatred lends energy to destruction. I wish to address those who want to be constructive.
I ask every compatriot to erect a wall in defence of our common values.
Let us make it clear, let us tell our children and raise our voices in everyday life to say that there isn’t a single Hungarian who sides with destruction, therefore we will not have anything to do with the Hungarian-speaking perpetrators of such and similarly cowardly acts.
We owe it to our ancestors, to ourselves and to those following us to declare that anybody rejecting or humiliating any member of our political nation for any reason and on any grounds are in fact humiliating themselves.
I would like to respectfully thank you for your personal undertaking in this matter.
6th June 2012.